


Red String of Fate

by cobaltexpositor



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, Shenanigans, Slow Dancing, pure fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:53:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25980031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cobaltexpositor/pseuds/cobaltexpositor
Summary: Senator Chuchi crosses paths with a member of the Coruscant Guard at a senatorial gala, and sparks fly. But all of a sudden he's called away, and she realizes she doesn't know his name. And he looks just like all the members of the guard. The only clue to his identity is a red cord from the shoulder of his dress uniform. Will she be able to find her mystery trooper again?Reviews:"Oh wow! I just read the whole thing though and this is adorable! Thank you so much for sharing this cute story!!" -reader amukmuk"How PRECIOUS" -reader GraceEliz
Relationships: Riyo Chuchi/CC-1010 | Fox
Comments: 28
Kudos: 140





	1. The Stroke of Midnight

**Author's Note:**

> I was inspired by @flybynite19 on tumblr and their art of Riyo and Fox in fancy clothes. They make Fox look like a Disney prince. Anyway, this is pure fluff, I hope you all enjoy!  
> Also, thanks to @lilhawkeye3 for letting me run ideas by her!

Riyo Chuchi was not a fan of galas. It was too loud, too crowded. The people were more artificial than usual. The clothes were uncomfortable. But it was a senatorial event, and she was all but required to attend. If someone had told her how much of her senate career was going to be spent glad-handing other politicians who despised her, all the while wearing shoes that pinched her toes, she might have turned down the seat.

She stood in the corridor by the event hall, taking a moment to catch her breath. The air was still too warm out in the hall, the rolling noise of conversations still muddling her thoughts. She closed her eyes, concentrating. _Get it together, Riyo_.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” Riyo opened her eyes to the deep voice. A clone was standing in the hallway, looking concerned. He was wearing a grey dress uniform, with a red cord looped around his shoulder. A member of the Coruscant Guard, Riyo noted, though what rank she couldn’t say. He cocked his head to the side, eyebrows drawing closer, and Riyo realized that she was staring.

“Ah, yes trooper, I’m fine,” she finally said. “Just… taking a break from the festivities.” Riyo fanned herself with her hand. “It’s awful warm in here.” the trooper nodded in agreement. Then he opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, then continued.

“The gardens are empty right now. There isn’t any security, but I’d be happy to escort you if you wish to get some fresh air for a few minutes.”

Riyo smiled brightly, flattered by the idea of having this handsome man as her personal escort, if only for a short while. “That sounds lovely. Lead the way.”

The trooper offered the crook of his elbow to Riyo, which she gladly looped her hand around.

\---

The gardens were immaculately kept. The tall hedges were trimmed with near laser precision. Riyo heard a fountain off in the distance. She felt better immediately after stepping out into the cool night air. There were a number of alien flower species, all hailing from different Republic planets. Most of the flowers were closed, dormant under the night sky. Out of the corner of her eye, Riyo saw a familiar orange bloom.

“Oh! Look, Pantoran lilies.” She tugged on the troopers arm to stop him, pointing at the flowers. “I haven’t seen those in quite a while.”

“They’re beautiful,” said the clone. “Why aren’t they closed up like the other flowers?”

“They’re nocturnal,” Riyo explained. “They’re closed during the daytime because the direct sunlight would be too harsh for them.” A nostalgic look crossed the young Pantoran’s face. “My mother had some Pantoran lilies in a planter outside the kitchen window. Whenever I snuck out of my room for a midnight snack, I would always love to admire them.”

“You miss your home,” the trooper observed.

“Now and again. I was only elected to the senate two months ago, and I’ve been on Coruscant for less than that.” She looked up at her escort, taking a moment to admire how the glow of the garden lamps played off the deep brown of his eyes. “How long have you been here?”

“I’ve been on Coruscant for two years, a majority of the war.”

“Any advice?”

“Sorry?” The trooper looks at Riyo with a raised eyebrow, confused.

“I’ve been here a month and a half, you’ve been here two years. I haven’t been a senator very long,” Riyo unwinds her arm from the trooper’s elbow and turns to face him. “I’m quickly realizing I have a lot to learn.”

The trooper stood silent for a moment, deep in thought. Riyo noticed that he bit the inside of his cheek while thinking. _Cute_.

“I think you need to trust yourself,” he finally stated. “You say you have a lot to learn, but consider how far you’ve already come. Not just anyone can become a senator, despite some giving that impression.” Riyo laughed at his last comment. He smiled at her, looking almost relieved that she wasn’t offended by his jab at her colleagues. “Trust your instincts. If something feels right, go for it.”

“Thank you, that makes me feel much better,” Riyo said, and moves to continue walking down the path, only for her shoes to betray her. She yelps as she loses balance on her high heels and starts to tumble to the ground, only for a pair of strong arms to catch her. The trooper pulled her close to him to keep her upright, hands gripped securely on her bare arms.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” That was the second time he’s asked me that tonight, Riyo noted. _Wow, he’s even more handsome up close. I’m staring again!_

“I’m okay,” she said, resituating her heels and holding onto the trooper’s forearms for support. “If it’s all the same to you, I’m going to go barefoot for a while.” He nodded, keeping his arms steady for her to hold onto while she lifted her skirts above her feet so she could undo the intricate ties of her heels one by one. When she was finally free of her torturous shoes, she let go of the trooper’s arms. She hadn’t realized just how tall he was.

“Better?” He asked.

“Much better,” Riyo said. “Whoever decided that heels were an integral part to women’s fashion had a sadistic mind.” He laughed at that, and Riyo’s heart fluttered. His laugh was deep, like his voice, and it rumbled in his chest.

“I wouldn’t know much about the intricacies of women’s fashion,” he chuckled, “but those do look uncomfortable,” gesturing to the heels in her left hand. He offered her arm to her again, which Riyo took gladly. They continued walking down the garden path, until they came along a stretch where the path ran parallel to windows that looked into the gala hall. The conversations were muted by the transparisteel windows, but the music of the live band cut through and carried across the crisp night air.

“Say what you will about these types of events, the music is always fantastic,” Riyo mused. As she said that, the band shifted to a slower, more romantic tune. She glanced up at her escort, who was looking through the windows at the party. Her eyes traced the sharp cut of his jaw, the line of his neck and his glossy, tightly curled black hair. She suddenly felt brave. _Trust your instincts,_ she thought.

“Dance with me?” She asked, stepping around to face the trooper.

“What?” he asked, looking dumbstruck. Her confidence wavered for a moment.

“Only if you want to!” she clarified. “It’s just that, I love this song.” That was a lie, she didn’t know this song, but that was just for her to know.

The trooper looked down at his shoes, inspecting for nonexistent scuffs. “I don’t know how to dance,” he mumbled.

Riyo tossed her heels to the edge of the path and held her arms out, palms upward. “I’ll show you.” He looked back and forth from her face to her hands before finally placing his hands in her own. She stepped forward, entering his personal space.

“Right, so we hold hands like this,” she guided, maneuvering their arms to the side. His hand engulfed hers, warm beneath his uniform gloves, and he held her hand like it was made of glass. “And your other hand goes here,” she led his free hand to her waist. His touch was featherlight against her side, not wanting to do anything to make her uncomfortable. She smiled reassuringly at him, placing her other hand on his shoulder. He smiled back and relaxed at her touch. “And then we just sort of… sway.”

They swayed back and forth for a little, Riyo leading the way. “This isn’t so hard,” he said, concentrating intently. She walked him through some other basic moves, like twirling her under his raised arm. He pulled a little too enthusiastically when she demonstrated spinning in and out of the dance, and she stumbled slightly, falling against his broad chest. “Okay, maybe it is hard,” he admitted.

“You’re getting the hang of it,” Riyo encouraged. She suddenly became very aware that she was pressed up against him, his arm wrapped around her waist from when she had spun in. They locked eyes, and Riyo marveled again at how gorgeous his eyes were. This close to his face, she could see the gold flecks in his brown irises.

“I think the song is over,” he said, not moving to untangle from her.

“I think it is,” she agreed, tracing her fingers along the red cord dangling from his shoulder. His expression was hard to read.

 _Trust your instincts_. She leaned in slightly, tilting her head to the side. She stopped halfway, giving him every opportunity to abort. He didn’t. He met her the rest of the way, and her eyes fluttered shut as he kissed her. She marveled at the rough feeling of the stubble on his chin, the soft warmth of his lips. _This might be the best feeling in the world_ , she thought.

The kiss was abruptly interrupted as the trooper’s commlink beeped loudly. He pulled away quickly, answering the comm. “Here.”

“ _Potential intruders in the East hall_ ,” another clone’s voice came from his wrist. “ _Requesting backup_.”

“On my way,” he replied, and began to rush off to do his duty. He paused, still holding onto Riyo’s hand. “I’m sorry,” he said, with true regret on his face, and then he runs off.

Riyo stood there, fingers touching her lips, which were still tingling from the kiss. She smiled to herself, feeling giddy. Then she noticed the trooper’s red cord on the ground in front of her. She picked it up, lacing it in between her fingers. _It must have come loose_. Her mind raced at the possibilities this presented. This was the perfect excuse to see him again. She could stop by the Coruscant Guard buildings to return it.

It was at that moment that Riyo Chuchi realized that she had completely forgotten to ask the trooper his name.

“Kriff.”


	2. Operation Space Cupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riyo recruits Ahsoka Tano to help her find her mystery kiss. The obvious thing to do is sneak in the barracks and go through all the trooper's dress uniforms, of course.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We love shenanigans in this house.

Days had passed since the gala, since the kiss. Riyo had searched for her mystery trooper that night, but to no avail. Now, she was at her desk, rubbing the red cord between her thumb and fingers. There were things that she should probably be doing, but right now she was lost in thought.

Her head shot up at the knock on her office door. “Come in!” She called out. In walked Ashoka Tano, her usual pep in her step.

“Hi Senator Chuchi!” she said brightly.

“Ahsoka, you can call me Riyo. All my friends do.” Riyo stepped around her desk to give Ahsoka a warm hug. She hadn’t known the commander very long; they had met through her master General Skywalker when he escorted her back to Coruscant from the incident on Orto Plutonia. But they had hit it off almost immediately, and Ahsoka made it a point to say hello whenever she was in the Senate building. Riyo admired the padawan, so sure of herself for someone so young.

“How are you, Ahsoka?” The two women sat at the couch off to the side of Riyo’s office.

“I’m great! The 501st has R&R planetside for the week, so I’ve been catching up on lessons at the temple.”

“Well I hope you’ve also been taking some time to relax,” Riyo said.

“Well, I’ve been trying to convince Rex to let me come with him and the other clones to 79’s, but they say I’m not allowed.” Ahsoka shrugged, disappointment clearly written in her posture.

“I understand how you feel,” Riyo put a hand on Ahsoka’s shoulder. “I was always left behind by the older kids in my town.”

“It is what it is,” Ahsoka shrugged. “But enough about me! How are you?”

“Oh,” Riyo, looked down in her lap, ringing her hands. “More of the same, I suppose.”

“Mmm,” Ahsoka hummed. “You’re a terrible liar. Come ooon,” she poked Riyo in the arm, teasing. “Let me in on the secret! No one ever tells me anything.”

“Well if you must know,” Riyo sighed. “I… met someone. And, I think I may need your help.”

Ahsoka sat up straighter, intrigued. “You met someone? What do you mean?”

“There was a gala a few nights ago, and there was this trooper from the Coruscant Guard that escorted me to the gardens so I could catch my breath. We talked and danced,” Riyo leaned back against the couch cushions. “And we… kissed.” Ahsoka gasped excitedly, grinning widely.

“That’s so romantic, Riyo!”

Riyo smiled wistfully. She felt a little ridiculous, gushing over a boy with a friend like a couple of school girls. “But, what do you need my help with?”

“Well, he got called away right after we kissed. And it wasn’t until after he left that I realized that I had completely forgotten to ask his name. Which would normally be fine, I got a good look at his face. However…” Riyo waved her hand in a defeated gesture.

“He’s a clone, they all have the same face,” Ahsoka finished, nodding her head in understanding. “Damn, Riyo. And you have no idea what his rank was? Was there anything distinct about his uniform.”

Riyo shook her head ‘no’. “They were all wearing their dress uniforms, which are even less personalized than their usual armor. But,” Riyo reached into her pocket, pulling out the red shoulder cord. “This fell off his shoulder. I noticed that all their uniforms have one on their right arm.”

“So if we find out who is missing their cord, we find your mystery trooper! Oh Riyo, that’s genius.”

Riyo flashed another smile. “I’m glad you think so, Ahsoka. And that’s where you come in. I can’t just go around asking every clone ‘did you lose a shoulder cord at the gala this weekend? And did we kiss?’ That would be mortifying.”

“You want to go stealth.”

“Precisely.”

Ahsoka shot up from the couch, holding out her hand to pull Riyo to stand with her. “Well, what are we waiting for?!”

\---

Ahsoka and Riyo walked down another one of the uniform hallways of the Coruscant Guard building. They were met with nods of acknowledgement whenever they passed by any troopers. Ahsoka was a commander, so she technically belonged. And Riyo was a senator being escorted by said commander, so no one protested her being there.

They rounded another corner into an empty hallway. “Any ideas?” Riyo asked Ahsoka.

“If they keep things set up like we do on the  _ Resolute _ , all the troopers should keep their dress uniforms with the rest of their gear in the barracks.” Ahsoka led Riyo down a few more hallways, until she suddenly pulled her into a doorway out of sight. “Okay, that door leads to the barracks.”

“Is anyone in there?”

Ahsoka closed her eyes, concentrating. She stretched her hand out towards the door, focusing on the force. “No… no, I think it’s empty. Come on.” The two women snuck over to the barrack’s entrance.

The door opened to a large, and thankfully empty, room. Bunk beds lined the walls at uniform intervals. Under each bunk pair were two small trunks marked with each clone’s CT number.

“You take that side, I’ll take this row,” Ahsoka pointed over to the right side of the room. “Let’s move fast. Only troopers from the Guard are allowed in here. Everyone is on duty right now, but I don’t know how long before someone comes in.”

Riyo went right to work, opening each trunk one at a time. Trunk after trunk, it was all the same. The dress uniforms were all neatly folded, and all of them had their red cords. As Riyo went down the line of bunks, her heart began to rise in her throat. She was trespassing and going through these trooper’s few personal belongings to chase after a crush. What if he had already replaced the cord, and this whole mission was a waste of time?  _ Just get this over with, Riyo. This was your idea. _

Riyo was halfway down the right row of bunks before the barrack’s door opened with a hiss. Riyo and Ahsoka locked eyes, frozen in place. They were caught.

Two troopers walked in. “Hey! This is a restricted area,” one of them said. “Only troopers are allowed in here.”

Riyo looked to Ahsoka, mind racing for ideas. “Uh, yes! You’re right, trooper,” Ahsoka said eventually. “But I was sent to do a… surprise inspection!”

The two troopers looked at each other, and then back at the two women. “No one told us about an inspection.”

“That’s why it’s called a surprise.”

“You’re going to need to come with us, we’ll clear it up with the commander.”

“Wait!” Ahsoka waved her hand in front of the troopers’ faces. “You don’t need to take us to see your commander.” Neither trooper reacted.

“Nice try. Come on.” Riyo and Ahsoka were led out of the barracks.

Riyo and Ahsoka sat next to each other in plain metal chairs in an empty interrogation room. Riyo thought that they looked closer to two delinquent students than a Grand Army commander and a Republic senator.

“Troopers,” another clone called out. Riyo recognized Commander Thorn from his armor paint, he had reviewed emergency procedures with her when she had first landed on Coruscant. He met the group in the hallway. “Can I ask  _ why _ you are holding Commander Tano and Senator Chuchi in an interrogation room?”

“We found them in the barracks, sir. The commander said they were conducting a ‘surprise inspection’.” Riyo could feel her face flushing. This was so embarrassing, to be caught red-handed sneaking around the guard barracks. She hadn’t felt this ashamed since her parents found out she had lied about breaking her mother’s prized heirloom vase. She had always been an awful liar.

“Commander Thorn, I can explain-” Riyo began, but he held up her hand to stop her.

“Senator Chuchi, you’ll have to forgive these two troopers. They just shipped in from Kamino last month. They’re still a little rigid when it comes to rules and regulations.” She saw the two troopers deflate at Thorn’s words. Commander Thorn addressed the other clones. “If Commander Tano says she had reason to be in the barracks, then she had reason to be in the barracks.”

He turned again to Riyo and Ahsoka. “My apologies, commander, senator. You’re free to go.” He gestured to the door.

“Thank you, Commander Thorn. My sincerest apologies for any inconvenience.” Riyo all but ran to the door, eager to leave and put this whole mess behind her. Ahsoka gave a quick salute to Commander Thorn, which he reciprocated, and followed Riyo out the door.

\---

Back in Riyo’s office, the senator handed Ahsoka a warm cup of tea before sinking into the couch with a dejected sigh. “Well, that went well.”

“I’ve seen worse,” Ahsoka replied, sipping her tea.

“So much for avoiding embarrassing ourselves. What was I thinking?” Riyo mused aloud. “I can’t be running around like a lovesick teenager. I have a job to do.” She glanced over at Ahsoka, who was giving her a sympathetic look. “Thank you for your help all the same, Ahsoka. I’m sorry that it ended so poorly.”

“Are you kidding? This is the most fun I could have asked for on my R&R.” Riyo laughed at that.

“It was fun, wasn’t it? I have never done something that risky before.”

“You think you’ll try again?”

Riyo shook her head. “I think us getting caught is a sign that I’m not meant to figure out who this belongs to.” She held up the cord in her hand. Ahsoka stared into her cup, thinking. She drained the last of her tea before standing, placing the cup on the coffee table.

“I don’t know. It’s good to chase after things that you want. Keeps us motivated, keeps us driven.”

Riyo hummed, taking in Ahsoka’s words. She walked her over to the door and drew her into another hug as a farewell.

“Don’t give up hope just yet, Riyo. I have a good feeling about this.”

“Thank you, Ahsoka. I’ll keep you updated. Stay safe.” Ahsoka exited, and Riyo plopped down in her desk chair, exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster of her day.


	3. So This is Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The grand finale! Riyo has given up on finding her trooper, but as fate would have it, Fox gets a very interesting report from Commander Thorn.

Fox couldn’t concentrate in the days after the gala. After the kiss. He honestly couldn’t believe it had actually happened. He had kissed a woman. He had kissed a senator. He had never spoken to Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora before that night, but it was his job to know who she was. Despite her uncertainty in herself that she had expressed to him, she was already making waves in the senate. Him and his team had already thwarted three assasination attempts in the month and a half she had been on Coruscant. Not that he would ever tell her that, it would only scare her. And right now all he wanted was to see her safe.

  
The clone commander groaned in frustration, head in hands and his elbows propped on his desk. Of course he wanted to keep her safe; it was literally his job. It was everything else that he wanted that was the problem. He wanted to talk to her, walk with her, hold her. He wanted to kiss her again. But he can’t have that.  
Besides, she hadn’t come to see him since the gala. They had even passed in the hallway yesterday, and she didn’t acknowledge that he was there outside of a polite nod. Which had hurt more than he cared to admit.  
It’s for the best, he rationalized. It’s against regulation for a reason, I can’t afford to be distracted.

  
His sulking was interrupted by a beep at the door. “Come in,” Fox called out and Thorn walked in, helmet tucked under one arm. “Thorn, what is it?”  
“Just coming to check on you. Haven’t seen you all day. Everything okay?”

  
“Yeah,” Fox sighed. “Just busy,” he gestured to the datapads on his desk.

  
“You sure? You’ve been acting weird since we did security for that senate party.” Fox bit his tongue to keep him from snapping at his brother to insist he was fine. He knew Thorn meant well, his concern was written clearly across his face. But this was something he had to deal with by himself.

  
“I’m sure, Thorn,” using a tone that said this is the end of this conversation.

  
“Alright,” Thorn replied, looking unconvinced. But if his older brother said to drop the subject, then that was that. He turned to leave, then paused, remembering something. “Oh, by the way, you missed the funniest thing while you were busy moping at your desk. You know those two troopers that just arrived from Kamino?”

  
“Yeah?” Fox chose to ignore the use of the word “moping”.

  
“Well, I got a comm that they were holding Commander Tano and that one Pantoran senator in the interrogation room.”

  
“They did what?!” Fox’s eyes widened.

  
“Yeah, apparently they caught them poking around the barracks. I told them that if Commander Tano was in there, then she must have a good reason. No idea why that senator was with her though. You should have seen the look on her face,” Thorn smirked at the memory. “Her skin turns purple when she blushes.” Fox knew that already.

  
“W-was the senator angry?”

  
“Nah, she was embarrassed more than anything.” Thorn shrugged. “I apologized for the two troopers, and then they both high-tailed it out of there.”

  
Fox grumbled again, running a hand through his hair. “Okay, thanks for telling me, Thorn. I’ll go make a formal apology to the senator tomorrow, make sure she doesn’t get their di’kut asses sent back to Kamino.”

  
“You think she’d do that? She seems to be one of the few senators that actually likes us.”

  
“Yeah, and I’m going to work to keep it that way.”

  
“Good thinking,” Thorn pressed the panel on the wall, opening the door. “Hey,” he looked over his shoulder. “I hope you figure out whatever’s bothering you.”

  
Fox’s face softened at his brother’s words. He simply nodded in lieu of a response, and Thorn left his closet-turned-office. He leaned back in his chair, mind racing. He was going to have to see Senator Chuchi tomorrow, there was no avoiding that. Does he bring up the gala, the kiss?

  
“What the hell was she doing in the barracks?” He wonders aloud.

  
\---

  
The next day, Riyo threw herself back into her work. She had only just become the galactic representative to her planet, and she couldn’t afford to mess up. From this moment I will be a perfect senator. No more galavanting around gardens with handsome soldiers. There was a knock at her door. She checked her calendar. She didn’t have any meetings until late this afternoon. “Uh, enter!”

  
A clone trooper steps in as she stands from her desk. She recognized him, his armor painted differently to signify his rank as leader of the Coruscant Guard. But for the life of her she couldn’t recall his name, much to her shame.  
“Commander! How can I help you?” She catches a flash of a pained look from the man, like he was upset. But it disappeared as soon as it came, replaced by a stoic mask.

  
“Senator Chuchi, good day. It has come to my attention that you were held against your will by two of my troopers in the Guard hall yesterday, and I just wanted to come and formally apologize on their behalf. They’re still learning how things work around here, I hope you’ll forgive them.”

  
Riyo’s cheeks burned thinking about yesterday, and she became very aware of the red cord coiled in her skirt pocket. She waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, everything is forgiven and forgotten. I should really be the one apologizing, I was the one where I shouldn’t have been.”  
The commander paused, conflicted. “Can I ask, what was your reason for being in the trooper barracks? That’s really no place for a senator.”  
Riyo rang her hands together. No sense in lying, she thought. “Well, it’s silly really.” She slipped the red cord from her pocket, holding it out in her hand for the commander to see. “I attended the senate gala the other night, and a kind trooper escorted me to the gardens so I could get some fresh air. He had to leave suddenly, and this was left behind from his uniform.” She left out the part where she had danced with and kissed said trooper. No need to get the anonymous clone in trouble with his commander. “I didn’t want anyone to be reprimanded for misplacing any of their kit, so I figured I could just find which trooper was missing their cord and slip it back in his trunk before anyone noticed.” Okay, maybe there was some sense in lying.

  
The commander just stared at the cord draped across her palm, seemingly stunned. He pointed to the cord. “That’s… that’s mine.”  
They stared at each other for what Riyo thought felt like years. “Oh,” she said dumbly. “Well, I- here.” She extended her hand to offer the cord to him. He took it, and her skin electrified where his gloved hand brushed her palm. They stood there awkwardly. He rubbed the cord in between his fingers, avoiding looking at her. She rubbed her arm. Well, what now?  
“The other night-” he started, finally looking back up at her. She returned his gaze, looking hopeful. He cut himself short, and huffed a short breath. His eyebrows were knitted together, and he bit the inside of his cheek. “Thank you, ma’am, for holding on to this,” he indicated to the cord in his hand. I’ll leave you to do your work.” His words were laced with an undeniable underlying sadness. He can’t leave! Wait! Riyo’s heart quickened. She had to act, he was turning towards the door to leave. Trust your instincts.

  
“Commander,” she called out, and he stopped in his tracks.

  
“Yes?”

  
She closed the space between them. This close she had to look up to meet his eyes. He looked down at her, a small spark of hope in his eyes. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves.  
“The other night, in the garden,” she began. “I- I don’t usually do that sort of thing. I don’t act on a whim like that.” Hurt flashed across his face, and she panicked. _He thinks I’m rejecting him_. She placed a hand on his chest, feeling the cool plastoid of his armor. “But someone advised me to trust my instincts.”

  
“And what do your instincts tell you right now?” he asked, his voice almost a whisper.

  
Riyo leans in closer, raising on her toes. “That I need to ask you your name before you get called away again so I don’t have to sneak into the barracks to figure out who’s missing their shoulder cord.”

  
He let out a breathy laugh, which sang in Riyo’s ears. His free hand, still holding his red cord, raised up to brush against her cheek.

  
“My name is Fox.”

  
Riyo's smile shone. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Fox.” His name felt good on her tongue. “My name is Riyo.”

  
“Riyo,” Fox repeated.

  
Riyo felt courageous in this moment. “My instincts are also telling me to kiss you again.”

  
“You have good instincts, I like that.” Fox tilted his head forward. She met him halfway, bringing their lips together. Her hand not on Fox’s chest moved to the back of his neck, feeling the warm skin and the high collar of his blacks. She grounded herself in the kiss, trying to memorize every sensation. The first time had felt like a fairy tale, hardly a part of reality. This kiss was incredibly real, and she was going to savor every second of it.

  
It was a good thing she decided to commit the moment to memory, because it was interrupted by a loud beep from Fox’s coomlink. They broke the kiss, both chuckling at the eerie repetition of the other night. Fox pulled away slightly, hitting his commlink. “Fox here.”

  
“It’s Thorn. We were supposed to go over Senator Amidala’s security detail, are you in her office already? I’m heading over there now.”

  
“I’ll meet you there, I’m in the senate building.” He switched off his comm and set his forehead against Riyo’s, eyes closed. “I have to go,” Fox whispered.

  
“I know.” She cupped his face in her hands. They stepped away from each other, Riyo settling back on her heels. “When can I see you again, Fox?” She reveled in the fact that she now knew his name and could say it whenever she wanted. _Fox, my Fox_.

  
“My rotation ends at eighteen hundred hours.”

  
“Meet me in the garden? By the Pantoran lilies?”

  
“It’d be my pleasure.”

  
“It’s a date,” Riyo said sweetly. Fox’s face split into a grin.

  
“A date,” he repeated, the words foreign to him. “Never been on a date before.”

  
“Me neither,” Riyo admitted. Fox’s eyebrow raised, surprised. “Now go, you’ll be late for your meeting with Senator Amidala.”

  
Fox nodded, still grinning as he placed his helmet back on his head. He left Riyo’s office, joy written in his movements and his red cord still gripped in his hand. Riyo stood in the middle of the room, the last few minutes sinking in. She ran to her desk, frantically dialing her holoprojector.

  
“Ahsoka? You’ll never believe what just happened!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! Hope y'all enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing this. Please check out my other Foxiyo wip, I swear I will update regularly (as soon as I figure out how it ends lol). May the force be with you!


End file.
